Di Spirito Nicola Antonio, Liu Wanli, Di Lorenzo Mirella, Grizzuti Nino, Laabei Maisem, Leese Hannah S, Pasquino Rossana
DICMaPI, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, P. le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy; Department of Chemical Engineering and Centre for Bioengineering and Biomedical Technologies (CBio), University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY Bath, UK.
Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY Bath, UK.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Feb;679(Pt A):544-553. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.10.005. Epub 2024 Oct 3.
Electrically conductive hydrogels (ECHs) combine the electrical properties of conductive materials with the unique features of hydrogels. They are attractive for various biomedical applications due to their smart response to electrical fields. Owing to their distinctive properties, such as biocompatibility, thermosensitivity and self-assembling behaviour, Pluronics can be adopted for the generation of hydrogels for biomedical applications. Here, innovative self-assembling ECHs holding antimicrobial properties for biomedical applications are developed, providing a full characterization of their macroscopic and microscopic properties. The rheological, morphological, and structural properties of Pluronic F68 (PF68) in the presence of conductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) are studied to optimize the synthesis of novel biocompatible and electrically conductive hydrogels. The addition of silver (Ag) flakes to the aqueous samples of PF68/PEDOT:PSS is used to further enhance the systems electrical conductivity and antimicrobial potency. Aqueous optimal samples with 45 wt% PF68 and different PEDOT:PSS/silver contents are investigated by means of experimental rheology and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), to unveil the influence of both PEDOT:PSS and silver on the phase diagram, macroscopic flow properties, and morphology of the Pluronic-based systems. The presence of PEDOT:PSS and silver flakes endows Pluronic systems with high conductive properties, while preserving the same self-assembly features of PF68 in water. Moreover, the functionalisation with silver flakes confers antimicrobial properties to the ECHs, as demonstrated by growth inhibition of the multi-drug resistant bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. The use of PF68 in this work provides a novel route for the synthesis of innovative ECHs, whose functionalities such as self-assembling behaviour, biocompatibility, conductivity, and bioactivity may inspire future avenues in the biomedical field.
导电水凝胶（ECHs）将导电材料的电学特性与水凝胶的独特特性相结合。由于其对电场的智能响应，它们在各种生物医学应用中具有吸引力。由于具有生物相容性、热敏性和自组装行为等独特性质，普朗尼克可以用于制备生物医学应用的水凝胶。在此，开发了具有生物医学应用抗菌性能的创新自组装ECHs，并对其宏观和微观性质进行了全面表征。研究了在导电聚（3,4-乙撑二氧噻吩）：聚（苯乙烯磺酸盐）（PEDOT:PSS）存在下普朗尼克F68（PF68）的流变学、形态学和结构性质，以优化新型生物相容性导电水凝胶的合成。向PF68/PEDOT:PSS的水性样品中添加银（Ag）薄片，以进一步提高体系的电导率和抗菌效力。通过实验流变学和小角X射线散射（SAXS）研究了含45 wt% PF68以及不同PEDOT:PSS/银含量的水性最佳样品，以揭示PEDOT:PSS和银对基于普朗尼克体系的相图、宏观流动性质和形态的影响。PEDOT:PSS和银薄片的存在赋予普朗尼克体系高导电性能，同时保留了PF68在水中相同的自组装特性。此外，银薄片功能化赋予ECHs抗菌性能，耐多药金黄色葡萄球菌的生长抑制证明了这一点。在这项工作中使用PF68为创新ECHs的合成提供了一条新途径，其自组装行为、生物相容性、导电性和生物活性等功能可能会为生物医学领域带来未来的发展方向。
